Game 4 7
D Moroz • G.Timoshenko Enakievo 1 997
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 exd4 4 Nxd4 Bc5 5 Nxc6 Qf6 6 Qd2 dxc6 For decent development Black accepts doubled pawns, thus present ing White with an early advantage in the form of an unhindered king side pawn majority. Note that in this case, unlike the Exchange varia tion of the Ruy Lopez (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Bxc6 dxc6), White has not had to part with a bishop for the privilege .
7 Nc3 Ne7 8 Qf4 Be6 9 Qxf6 gxf6
Again Black has invited the creation of doubled pawns in order to get on with development. The f6-pawn can challenge the e4-pawn, but Black will still have three pawn islands to White's two. Theoretically, of course, this variation is not necessarily unsound for Black, but from a practical viewpoint it is easy to drift into a poor position.
1 0 Na4!? Bb4+ 11 c3 Bd6 1 2 Be3 (Diagram 1)
Diagram 1 Diagram 2
Mastering the Middlegame
1 06
The exchanges have helped the game along to the early middlegame phase . Now the struggle concentrates on the pawn structures. 12 ... £5
Contesting the centre before White consolidates, e.g. 1 2 .. . Rg8 1 3 f4 with a clear advantage to White .
1 3 Bd4 Rg8
After 13 . . . f6 14 Bxf6 Rf8 1 5 Bd4! fxe4 16 Nc5 Black's structure might be even worse .
1 4 e 5
Forcing an interesting mini-skirmish o f pawns from which Black trades in one positional disadvantage for another.
1 4 ... b5 1 5 exd6 cxd6 1 6 Nc5 dxc5 1 7 Bxc5 a5 1 8 a4! (Diagram 2) White continues to exert pressure on the enemy pawns before Black pushes his own pawn to a4. The text is guaranteed to create further weaknesses that White's bishop pair should later combine to exploit. Note that, thus far, White has been careful not to commit his own pawns - a completely contrasting approach to Black, who seems to have few worries about their well-being.
1 8 ... bxa4
Black is stuck between a rock and a hard place! 18 .. . b4 19 cxb4 axb4 20 a5 releases the a-pawn and weakens the b-pawn. The text, mean while, leaves Black with four pawn islands!
19 Rxa4 Rg4!? 20 Rxg4 !?
White grants his opponent's wish to 'correct' the kingside pawns rather than fix them with 20 f4 Nd5 2 1 g3 Kd7, when Black is defi nitely worse but is still in the game .
20 ... fxg4 2 1 h3! gxh3
Now White played the incredulous 22 gxh3?, after which 22 .. . Rd8 2 3 Rg1 R d 5 24 Be3 Nf5 allowed Black t o activate his pieces and subse quently keep the disadvantage to a minimum, eventually earning a draw . Having stressed the importance of the need to keep one's pawns intact whenever possible, it makes sense for White to adhere to this maxim - as he has done admirably thus far - and there is a means to do j ust that.
22 g3! Rd8 23 Bxh3 leaves Black with very weak pawns, while White's can be solidly protected. Mter 23 .. . Bd5 24 0-0!? White's rook is ready to make its presence felt, although the h-file is a decent home, too, as the h-pawn is a juicy target. Perhaps Black's best is 23 ... Rd5 24 Ba3 Rh5 25 Bg2 Rxh l+ 26 Bxh l . However, White has excellent winning chances whether or not Black cancels out the bishop pair with 26 . . . Bd5.
Using the Pawns WARNING : Structural weaknesses in the opening have a nasty habit of staying with you through the middlegame and into the ending!
Game 48
0 Kramnik • Svidler Dortmund 1 998
Diagram 3
White gets the centre pawns going
Diagram 4
White keeps the pawns i ntact
Here we have another example of a game that quickly weaves through the opening, middlegame and ending stages. Already with a greater influence in the centre, Kramnik decides to put his faith in his advanced pawns.
1 f41
The first part of a forcing continuation that is designed to steer the game into a queenless middlegame in which White's centre pawns dominate .
l. .. Ng4 2 Bd4 Qa5+
2 . . . Bxd4 3 Qxd4 Qxd4 4 Nxd4 merely improves White's knight. 3 Qd2 Qxd2+ 4 Kxd2 e5?1
The circumspect 4 . . . Rd8 is superior to the text, which brings about an alteration of the respective p;1wn structures that results in the accen tuation of White's central presence .
5 h31
White both parts with his bishop and prepares a pawn sacrifice, judg ing that the pawns on the two centre files will be too strong.
Mastering the Middlegame
1 08
5 . . . Nf6 6 fxe5 Nxe4+ 7 Ke3 is much worse, e.g. 7 . . . Bf5 (or 7 . . . f5 8 d6+ etc.) 8 g4 Bh6+ 9 Nf4.
6 hxg4 g5
6 . . . Bxg4 7 e5 Bxe2 8 Kxe2 is similar to the game, while 6 . . . d3 7 Nc3 Bxg4 8 Kxd3 Rac8 9 Rac l is very pleasant for White .
7 g3! (Diagram 4)
White consistently keeps his pawn mass intact. 7 ... Bxg4
White's armada of pawns is so impressive that he might consider an swering 7 . . . d3 8 Nc3 Bxg4 9 Kxd3 Bf3 with 10 e5!? Bxh 1 1 1 Rxh 1 , when the position i s b y n o means suitable for Black's rooks and the g7-bishop is closed out.
8 e 5 Bxe2 9 Kxe2
With rooks and opposite-coloured bishops on the board White's win ning chances increase and, while the b3-bishop will come to life once the d-pawn clears the a2-g8 diagonal by advancing one step closer to promotion, the prospects of Black's bishop , locked in by a wall of white pawns, are poor.
9 ... Rfc8 10 Rad 1 Rc3 11 Rd3 Rac8
The immediate 1 1 . . .b5 looks better because this rook ultimately has tens the end.
1 2 d6 b5
12 . . . Rxd3 13 Kxd3 Rc3+ 14 Kxd4 Rxg3 15 d7 wins for White . 1 3 Rxc3 ! dxc3
Not 13 . . . Rxc3?? 14 d7. 14 e6!
This inevitable advance puts the key players side by side and guaran tees White a decisive material gain.
14 ... Kf8
14 . . . Bf8 1 5 e 7 Bxe 7 16 dxe 7 Re8 1 7 fxg5 Rxe 7+ 18 Kd3 wins easily for White .
1 5 e7+ Ke 8 1 6 Bxf7+! 1-0
A fitting finale, as one of the pawns upon which Kramnik based his strategy will be crowned.
TIP: A broad centre (three or more pawns) can offer your pieces ex cellent shelter, can close out the opponent's pieces and has the long-term potential to later create dangerous promotion threats.
Game 49
0 Leko • Zvjaginsev Wijk aan Zee 1 995
Diagram 5 Black's d6-pawn is weak
Using the Pawns
Diagram 6 Black stil l has weaknesses
This time the pawn structures are more or less defined, with the back ward d-pawn a target and White enjoying a sort of mini (3-2) pawn majority on the queenside . However, after 19 exf5?! Bxg2 20 Kxg2 Qxc4 2 1 Rac l Qb5, for example, Black's chances are preferable . Fur thermore, the pawns on d6 and e5 might later be transformed to an attacking force . With this in mind White, to move, has the power to drastically alter the terrain, forcing a favourable break-up of Black's pawns.
19 Bh3! g6
Black opts to keep his light-squared bishop in the game . The variation 19 . . . Bd7 20 Bxf5 Bxf5 2 1 exf5 Qxc4 22 Rac l Qb5 23 Rc7 is crucially different to the one in the previous note since White's rook stands on the seventh rank.
20 exf5 gxf5 2 1 c5!
The point. Black's initially solid pawns are under severe pressure and, suddenly, are in danger of parting company.
2 1 ...Qe6
Too accommodating is 2 L .dxc5 22 Rxe5. 22 Bc7!
After 22 cxd6 Bxd6 23 Rad 1 Bb8 Black's centre pawns remain intact. 22 ... dxc5 23 Rxe 5 !
Mastering the Middlegame
1 1 0
2 3 Bxe5? Rd8! 2 4 Qf4 Qd5 is an unwelcome turnaround. The text, however, practically forces simplification into a very promising ending in which Black suffers from weak pawns.
TIP: Divide and conquer. 23 ... Qd7
2 3 .. . Qg6 24 Rae 1 Bg5 25 f4 is even worse . 24 Qxd7 Bxd7 25 Bg2! (Diagram 6)
Black simply has more weaknesses than his opponent, with b7, c5 and f5 all liabilities. Again the defender's problems increase with the number of pawn islands .
25 ... Bf6!
A nice try. 25 .. . Bc6? 26 Bxc6 bxc6 27 Rae 1 , on the other hand, ends the game.
26 Rxe8 Rxe8 27 Bxb7 Bb5 !
Black cannot let the a-pawn go, e.g. 27 . . . Bxb2 28 Rb 1 Bd4 29 Bxa6 etc.
28 R c 1 ! Bg5 !?
Again Black makes the most of his chances. 28 .. . Bxb2 29 Rxc5 Re l+ 30 Kg2 Bfl+ 31 Kf3 merely checks White's king up the board. 29 Bf4!
Everything has a price, and in this case White accepts structural damage of his own rather than walk into 29 Rxc5? Re l+ 30 Kg2 Bfl+ 3 1 Kf3 Be2+ 32 Kg2 Bfl+ with a draw.
29 ... Bxf4 30 gxf4 c4 3 1 Bd5+ Kg7 32 Bxc4 ReS 33 b3 Rc5 34 Kg2 Bxc4
34 .. . Bc6+ 35 Kg3 Rxa5 36 Re 1 ! is easy for White . 35 bxc4
The ending is winning for White . The game ended as follows : 35 ... Kf7 (35 .. . Rxa5 36 c5 Rb5 37 c6 Rb8 38 c7 Rc8 39 Kg3 Kf7 40 Kh4 Ke7 4 1 Rc6 Kd7 4 2 Rxa6 Rxc7 4 3 Kg5) 3 6 Kg3 Rxa5 3 7 c 5 Ke 7 3 8 Kh4! h6 39 Rc4! (39 Kh5? Ra4 40 Kxh6 Rxf4) 39 ... Rb5 (39 ... Kd7 40 c6+ Kc7 4 1 Kh5 Ra2 42 Kxh6 Rxf2 43 h4) 40 Kh5 a5 4 1 c6 Kd8 42 Kxh6 Rb4 43 Rc2 a4 (43 . . . Rxf4 44 Kg5 Rf3 45 h4) 44 Kg5 a3 45 h4 Rb2 46 Rc3 a2 4 7 Ra3 Kc7 48 Ra6 Rxf2 49 h5 Rh2 50 h6 1-0
It is no coincidence that White's endeavours to inflict structural pun ishment on his opponent soon resulted in the makings of a decisive advantage, all the play revolving around Black's vulnerable pawns. WARNING: Every pawn move can potentially create weaknesses. Advance them with care!
Using the Pawns